


Father's Song

by mynameisnoneya



Series: Daddy Clegane and Family [4]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Parents, Comedy, Cute Kids, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father's Day, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Fatherhood, Fluff, Husbands, Implied Sexual Content, Long-Term Relationship(s), Married Life, Married Sandor Clegane/Sansa Stark, Mild Language, Motherhood, Original Character(s), Parents, Pregnancy, Wives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-23 23:50:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14943660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mynameisnoneya/pseuds/mynameisnoneya
Summary: Trying to balance his career as a federal prosecutor and as a family man, Sandor Clegane was a true weekend warrior these days, desperately trying to cram in as much "quality time" as possible with his beautiful wife, Sansa, and their three kids.  On Father's Day this year, Sansa demands that Sandor take it easy and get some much deserved rest.  Their three kids, however, didn't get the memo.





	Father's Song

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written on a whim after thinking about what to get my husband for Father's Day this year. When one of our kids suggested to me that we "just let Daddy take a nap," this idea popped into my head. I hope you enjoy this light-hearted, full of feels look into Sandor's thoughts about his life in the Clegane clan.
> 
> Although this story can stand alone, it is meant to read after the other three stories in this series.
> 
> Please note that I made sure to tag any and all characters that appear in this work, whether they have a speaking role or not. 
> 
> General disclaimer: GoT characters and quotes belong to GRMM - I own nor claim nothing!
> 
> If you enjoyed this work, please let me know by leaving comments and kudos!

 Lying completely still on his side of the king-size bed, his gray eyes slowly closing as the first flickers of sleep began to emerge, Sandor sighed thoroughly, exhaling deeply while his massive body started to relax.  He was surrounded by the sound of silence while cocooned in the cool, dark bedroom, relishing the warmth of the plush fuzzy blanket covering him.  Although he had resisted Sansa’s notion that he needed to rest this fine Sunday afternoon, the longer he enjoyed the comfort of this bed, the more Sandor agreed with her.

Trying to balance his career as a federal prosecutor and as a family man, Sandor Clegane was a true weekend warrior these days, desperately trying to cram in as much "quality time" as possible with his beautiful wife, Sansa, and their three kids.  He’d rise at the ass-crack of dawn, long before the rest of the family was awake, stealing a few precious minutes to quickly exercise in his home gym down in the corner of the garage.  Gone were the days of hours spent flexing and heaving ungodly amounts of weights at the health club.  Late nights at the office and fatherhood had squelched that long ago.  Then, Sandor would hop into the shower to begin his day of daddydom, pulling out all the stops to ensure that his beloved spouse had some much-needed time to herself.  Though the lovely lass possessed the patience of a saint, even a saint needed a few hours to herself when the rest of her week was spent gestating their soon-to-be-born fourth child while herding the other three precocious, obnoxious kids all around Winterfell.

Since the Bolton trial had ended, Sandor had made sure to juggle his career and his family life better than ever.  Once he’d managed to convince Judge Sparrow to shove that sadistic fucker’s skinny little ass in prison for life and then some, Sandor made it a point to work in plenty of family time with Sansa and the kids on the weekends, taking them to the local amusement parks, to the zoo, to the ice cream parlor, or to any other event or attraction he could think of that would offer the Clegane clan a chance to bond.  He’d even managed to escort his beautiful bride on the date he’d owed her since Valentine’s Day.  Sandor was definitely on a roll.

This weekend, Sandor had planned to continue pressing onward with his fatherly duties, once again cramming in as many activities as possible.  Starting next week, he would be faced with another heinous case to try.  That meant his time at home would dramatically decrease, which would not only make him feel like a heel, but it also would put more pressure on his very pregnant wife who was getting closer and closer to her due date.

Friday night had been “movie night,” the entire family all squeezed together on the too-small couch while horking down popcorn and sundry highly-sugared treats.  Unfortunately, it had taken _hours_ for his two older kids to settle down and get in the bed after binging on dozens of M &M’s and cola.  Thankfully, his perpetually patient wife took it in stride, shaking her head in frustration yet not saying a single word even though they both knew who had allowed the kids such an indulgence.

Saturday had been non-stop action from sun up to sun down, beginning with Daddy Clegane’s not-so-world-famous chocolate chip pancakes.  Although Sandor rarely touched a kitchen tool, for two straight hours he toiled in the hot kitchen, determined to make a meal for the family.  He refused all of Sansa’s offers of help, juggling both making more batter while reading the recipe and trying not to burn the pancakes in progress on the griddle.  When he had finally laid the stack of piping hot confection on the dining room table, he couldn’t remember a time he’d felt so damn proud of himself as when the kids ooed and aahed at him while stuffing their mouths with his handiwork.  Though he’d managed to pull off the event, Sandor did wind up losing five bucks to that confounded “swear jar” which Sansa refused to put away.  He considered it a small price to pay, though, for making the kids happy.

After breakfast, Sandor had piled the kids into the van, hauling them first to story time at the local library and then out to lunch at their favorite fast food dive.  Three hours spent in the midst of various shrieking children (his own included), Sandor was on his last nerve by the time he’d brought them home.  Sansa, seated in the recliner with her swollen feet in the air, tried to get up to take over, yet Sandor plowed onward, corralling the kids upstairs for a puppet show and then outside to play in the sprinkler.  When dinner rolled around, he’d opted to order in pizza instead of making Sansa waddle around while fixing dinner.  By the time all three children were bathed and in bed, Sandor wound up falling asleep on the couch while trying to cuddle his wife during the chick flick she’d selected on Netflix for their “date night.”

Although Sandor had another full schedule of events planned for today, Sansa had raised her hand in the air as he had risen from bed, decreeing this Sunday as Sandor’s official day off.  Today was “Father’s Day,” so she had reminded him, the one day of the year set aside to honor men for all their hard work and familial dedication.  Pleading his case as she marched him toward the shower, Sandor argued that he only had one more day with the kids before he’d be back to spending countless hours at the office.  Judge Sansa, however, threw his case out of court, telling him that he was now in contempt for his behavior and needed to be punished.  When she had swiftly tossed her nightgown to the floor, telling him that he’d better hurry and get in the shower before the kids woke up, Sandor made a mental note to sass her more often.

After Sandor’s alleged punishment, Sansa had taken the kids to see her family this morning for breakfast with Grandpa Ned at the Stark Family Compound, telling Sandor that she’d make his excuses so he could stay home and have some time to himself.  At first, Sandor did enjoy the quiet in the house, traipsing about in his t-shirt and underwear like he’d done when first married.  It didn’t take long, however, before he grew terribly bored with fiddling with his cell phone or tinkering around out in the garage.  He missed his family.  Before he knew it, Sandor was in his car, pulling into the Starks’s driveway and ringing the front door bell.  When Ned had opened the door, a smug look plastered on his ruggedly handsome face, Sandor knew that Ned knew why he was there.

Throughout the rest of the day, Sandor fought his way upstream every time Sansa tried to force him to go upstairs and relax.  Instead of taking it easy, he’d worked on the treehouse and played on the Wii with his older two; volunteered to put Rickard down for his nap; showed Brandon how to juggle for the millionth time; and allowed Minisa to do his hair, pink bows and all.  By mid-afternoon, Sansa was done being ignored.  She finally laid down the law.  Come hell or high water, Sandor was going to rest.  She demanded that either he take a nap, or she was tying him to the bed.  Though he had voted for the second option, she pushed for the first.

Now lying in the comfort of his bed, Sandor started to think that maybe Sansa had been right all along.  He was tired.  Dog tired, come to think of it.  The kind of tired that comes from trying to meet everyone else’s physical and emotional needs without looking after one’s own.  The kind of tired Sansa felt on any given day, he imagined.

The most still he’d been in ages, Sandor could feel all the tension and worry about his job and the exhaustion from being a one-man show all weekend beginning to dissipate.  With the memory of Sansa on their wedding day playing in his head, Sandor smiled to himself as he finally gave in to sleep.  Steady his breathing became now, his muscles uncoiling with each and every inhale and exhale.

Before Sandor managed to drift into golden slumbers, however, the vigorous clanging of a child’s set of cymbals meshed with the off-pitch screech of an out of tune toy guitar all but caused Sandor to jump out of his skin.  His eyes popped open like corks as he sat straight up in bed, hearing the ungodly racket ratcheting up from what sounded like the play room.  Muttering a string of curses under his breath, Sandor kicked off his comfy blanket, silently thanking the gods though not a religious man that no one was around to collect their fees.  Angrily, he wrenched open his bedroom door, exiting said bedroom to find out what in the hell his three kids had gotten into.  Just as he breeched the doorway, Sansa appeared at the top of the stairs, huffing and puffing from her journey.

“I got this,” Sandor said, motioning for her to turn around and go back downstairs.

“You’re supposed to be taking a nap!” she hissed quietly, her pale face flushed from her exertion upstairs.  “I warned them to be quiet!”

“It’s alright,” he sighed as she made it to where he stood.

“But Sandor, I told them to - ”

Another cacophony of banging drums and off-key singing wafted down the hallway.

“I’ll go tell them to settle down, yeah?” Sandor smiled softly at his worried wife.  “I promise I’ll get back in bed once they’re quiet.”

“Fine,” Sansa sniffed, shaking her head at him as she shuffled along behind as the walked to the play room.  “But they’re going outside until you get up,” she added emphatically.

When Sandor opened the door to the play room, Sansa’s hands flew to ears to block the caterwauling taking place. Brandon had a toy guitar around his neck, slung low like he’d seen Uncle Jon wear his while playing on stage. Meanwhile, Minisa was singing into the pink and blue microphone, belting out some pop tune that Sandor didn’t recognize since his musical tastes stopped in the 90s. And Rickard, too little to keep up with his big brother and sister, sat happy as a clam while smashing the two plastic drum sticks into the wall near the window.

“What are you guys doing?” Sansa snapped at the lot of them, not putting her hands down until all noise in the room ceased.  All eyes widened, including Sandor’s, when she threw her hands on her widening hips, her stance indicating that she was just scratching the surface of her wrath.  “I thought I told you guys to find something quiet to do!”

“Sorry, Mommy,” Brandon hung his head in shame.  “We were just messing around.”

“But Mommy,” Minisa whined, holding her microphone at her side while bouncing up and down in place, “We’re rock stars, just like Uncle Jon!  We can’t be quiet!”

“That’s enough out of you, young lady,” Sansa sassed her daughter sternly, narrowing her eyes hard at the unfazed girl.

“So, you want to be rock stars today, do you?” Sandor chuckled, unable to suppress his laughter when Rickard decided right then and there to stick a drum stick up his nose.  That move had Sansa flying across the room at Mach 2.

“You three are going outside.  Right.  Now,” Sansa hissed at the two older kids while hunching over and trying to wrestle the drum stick out of Rickard’s unwilling hands.  “Your father deserves some peace and quiet!”

Sandor’s gray eyes trailed around the play room, his brain taking in the scene unfolding before him.  His oldest boy was about to turn seven soon, not long after Sandor and Sansa celebrated their eighth anniversary next month.  Brandon was already starting to grow and to stretch, his bony legs filling out with little boy muscles now that he’d joined the youth hockey league in the spring.  Minisa, who had turned five not so long ago, was about to start school this year, her first year at the elementary school where Brandon already went.  And Rickard…ah, Rickard.  The kid was a bruiser, already as tall as Minisa, and he’d only turned two not long after Minisa’s birthday.  The pediatrician had warned Sansa and Sandor that the kid was off the growth charts and destined to be over seven feet tall at this rate.

While Sansa began to hustle the kids toward the door, Sandor felt his heart ache.  It seemed like yesterday that he’d met Sansa when she was just starting law school and he had just started his job at Baratheon, Lannister, and Lannister.  A courtship, an engagement, a wedding, and three (almost four kids) later, Sandor realized in that moment that time was not on his side.  In just a few short years, Brandon would be leaving them to find his way in the world.  His daughter would do the same soon after, probably falling in love with some butthead and leaving Sandor to cry himself to sleep when she’d gone.  And Rickard…well, as long as he didn’t wind up in jail like his Uncle Gregor, Sandor would be happy.

Sandor would have all the time in the world to sleep when the kids were gone.  Or when he was dead.  Today was not the day he needed to worry about a nap.

“Let them be, love,” Sandor smiled, swallowing hard to beat down the surge of emotion threatening to make his eyes water.  “They’re fine.  Really.  They’re not bothering me.”

“You’re sure?” Sansa said, her ginger brows furrowed together in confusion.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he replied, stooping down to pop a quick, chaste on her puzzled lips.

“Daddy?” Brandon asked, looking up into his father’s face.

“Yeah, Bran?”

“You wanna hear how good we sound?”

“Absolutely,” Sandor nodded, pointing at Brandon’s pretend to guitar.  “Play us something.”

“Yeah!” Minisa squealed in delight.

“But Sandor, your nap?” Sansa scoffed while trying to manage a very wiggly child on her hip.

“Eh, I’ll just go to bed early,” he grinned.  Sandor took Rickard out of her arms, releasing the now happy boy onto the floor.  Then Sandor collected the drum sticks from Sansa, reaching to place them on top of the tallest cabinet in the play room.

And as Brandon and Minisa counted to four like a rock band, launching into their finest performance ever, Sandor once again embraced his beautiful wife, beaming widely while watching Rickard toddle straight for the kid-sized wooden mallet laying on top of the toy xylophone, obviously hell bent on finding out if it would fit as nicely as the drum stick had.

**Author's Note:**

> "A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow." - Unknown


End file.
